"This is my choice, and I am responsible for it": Zhamnov on the appointment of Kovalchuk, the role of Znark and the functions of assistants at the headquarters of the national team

On Monday, the first press conference of the new head coach of the Russian national ice hockey team, Alexei Zhamnov, took place, at which he announced which of the specialists would enter his headquarters at the Olympic Games in Beijing.

He also told how the composition itself will be formed and what tasks are set for the national team.

"Kovalchuk is an unofficial captain"

First of all, Zhamnov said that the contract had been signed with him before the end of the Olympic tournament.

In case of a successful performance in Beijing, the agreement may be extended, but the specialist does not think about it yet.

Olympic champion Ilya Kovalchuk has been appointed to the post of general manager of the team.

“I had a long conversation with him.

The forward has participated in five Olympics and is familiar with the guys from the NHL and the KHL.

He can tell about the players that I have never heard of.

This is a plus for our headquarters.

Ilya is an unofficial captain, he has great authority among hockey players.

I saw it both on the ice and off it, ”the specialist said.

The appointment of Kovalchuk looks quite logical, not only with an eye to his rich experience of performing at the Games.

The striker spent 926 games in the NHL, in which he scored 443 goals and gave 433 assists.

In the KHL, he won the Gagarin Cup three times with SKA and Avangard.

Since July 2021, Ilya has been a free agent.

The two-time Olympic champion Vyacheslav Fetisov appreciated the decision to invite Kovalchuk as general manager.

The specialist noted the most important uniting role assigned to the Russian citizen.

“Ilya knows everyone, and he has played with many recently.

I think that he should go to America to communicate with the guys from the NHL.

You need to understand in what combinations they will play in the national team.

It seems to me that the invitation of Kovalchuk is a smart move, "- quotes the words of Fetisov" Championship ".

However, some experts believe that the forward does not have enough managerial experience.

According to the two-time Olympic champion Boris Mikhailov, conclusions about the correctness of the decision to appoint Ilya as general manager can only be made based on the results of the Olympic hockey tournament in Beijing.

"They will ask from me"

The coaching staff of the Russian national team includes Sergey Fedorov, Alexey Kudashov, Sergey Gonchar and Evgeny Nabokov.

At first, Zhamnov explained the decision to invite these very specialists rather succinctly.

“This is my choice, and I am responsible for it.

They will ask me, ”the head coach said.

However, in the end, the specialist explained the tasks of almost every member of his team.

So, the world champion Nabokov will become the coach of goalkeepers.

He now holds the same position at the NHL club San Jose, where he previously worked as a scout.

Due to the current contract, Evgeny, however, will not be able to attend all the games of the national team.

“There will be another goalkeeping coach at the Channel One Cup.

I know many good specialists in the KHL, I will talk to them, ”Zhamnov explained.

Gonchar and Fedorov are two-time Olympic medalists: they won silver in 1998 and bronze in 2002.

Potter worked as an assistant coach at Pittsburgh and won the Stanley Cup.

Fedorov won the world championships three times and won the Stanley Cup three times with the Detroit Red Wings.

Now he heads CSKA, and his teamwork raises questions.

However, Zhamnov trusts a specialist.

“Sergey has a lot of experience, he knows the whole kitchen of the NHL and KHL very well.

I talked with each of the candidates, I have one vision with Fedorov.

CSKA loses not to the strongest teams?

This is a sport.

Because of the two defeats, no conclusions are drawn, ”Zhamnov said.

Another specialist from the KHL was invited to the national team - the head coach of the Moscow Dynamo Alexei Kudashov, who previously headed the national team.

But under his leadership, the latter failed to perform at a major tournament: the 2020 World Cup was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in June 2020, the coach left the post of his own free will.

As for the first vice-president of the FHR Roman Rotenberg, the national team does not provide for the post of head of staff, which he previously held, however, as Zhamnov noted, the functionary will go to Beijing to help resolve organizational issues.

Two more specialists - Valery Kamensky and Igor Esmantovich - will become advisers to the head coach.

The famous hockey player Vladimir Malakhov will be responsible for scouting in the national team.

“Kamensky has a lot of experience, sometimes I consulted with him when I stood on the bench.

Esmantovich knows the whole hockey world, and he knows the players from the KHL.

This is useful for a joint business.

When the work starts, we will determine who is responsible for what, ”Zhamnov said.

According to Kamensky, who is also an advisor to the chairman of the Supervisory Board of Spartak, the appearance of new positions in the national team is logical.

Such conditions are dictated by the world hockey.

“Look, all teams have advisors, managers, scouts - this is a whole organism that goes to a certain goal and result.

This is the worldwide practice, "the functionary noted in an interview with Vedomosti.

Sport".

In turn, the president of CSKA Esmantovich said that the team's coaching staff will meet in the near future.

The main task for the first communication is to distribute responsibilities.

"We know approximately who will be doing what, but after today's announcement, I want to get together and already understand exactly how to act in concert," TASS quotes Esmantovich.

Journalists could not help but ask Zhamnov about the role of Oleg Znarka in the Russian national team at the Olympics, who signed an agreement with the FHR: he is a consultant in the team.

“I met with him, we have a normal working relationship.

I can say that it will not be on the bench for sure.

And as a consultant, he will help us with his experience, ”Zhamnov explained.

"You can compete for gold"

The formation of the national team was also discussed at the press conference.

According to the head coach, at the end of October he will go to North America.

The specialist has already communicated with many hockey players, but he wants to discuss everything personally.

Players from the NHL, having arrived in China, should already understand what schemes are to be played and what will be required of them.

At the same time, the door to the national team is not closed for representatives of the Continental Hockey League.

“I do not exclude that we will take the guys from the KHL to the Olympics.

To do this, we will look through all the candidates for the First Channel Cup.

Oleg Bratash (the head coach of the youth team -

)

will be lucky for the November Karjala Cup

, "Zhamnov noted.

Developing the theme of the composition, the head coach said that at the moment work is underway to reduce the removal of Yevgeny Kuznetsov.

The striker of the Russian national team and the Washington Capitals was disqualified by the International Ice Hockey Federation for four years in 2019 for violation of anti-doping rules: cocaine was found in the player's sample.

“There are many nuances.

Zhenya himself is eager to play.

We hope that he will help us, ”Zhamnov said.

The task for the Games in Beijing for the Russian national hockey team is, as always, the maximum: to repeat the success of 2018 and win the gold medals of the tournament.

“I myself participated in the Olympics when I was still playing for the USSR and the CIS.

He worked in the coaching staff at the 2018 Games, we had time to prepare there.

Now the situation is completely different: a maximum of two trainings before the start of the tournament.

There will be no pass matches.

I believe that we have strong players.

With this team you can compete for gold medals.

Nobody builds illusions, but I believe, ”Zhamnov said.

The ice hockey tournament will be held in Beijing from 4 to 20 February 2022.

The Russian national team will play in Group B, where they will meet with the teams of the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Denmark.

Group A will include Canada, USA, Germany and China, group C - Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Latvia.

The drawing scheme has not changed: according to the results of the first stage, a final table is formed among all teams, from which the group winners and the best team that took the second place go directly to the quarterfinals.

The rest of the teams will play according to the principle of "best with the worst" and will determine the remaining participants in the quarterfinals.